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Truth About Black Friday Doorbuster Deals

Nov 23, 2010

Black Friday doorbuster deals are the primary motivator for participating in Black Friday shopping. Though many doorbusters are amazing deals are sold at a loss for the retailer, there are some things you should look out for when going after a doorbuster deal.

Doorbuster Deals Are Limited

It doesn’t take many Black Friday excursions to realize that most doorbuster deals are limited in quantity. Look closely at Black Friday ad scans for an astericks or footnote listing the quantity (example: 5 per store) or “while supplies last.”

Just because there may be a limit doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wait early in line to get one. It just means that competition may be stiff, so you may want to make sure you are one of the first in line.

In years past, employees of major retailers took the deals themselves or hid them for their friends. This type of activity has been removed by most retailers through tighter practices, but the possibility still exists.

Doorbuster Derrivatives

Sometimes the model of the product featured in a doorbuster deal isn’t a standard model, meaning they may have less features or other subtle differences, making them of lesser value.

Look out for unfamiliar model numbers by searching the web for the model number listed in the Black Friday ad. This is a good exercise for evaluating all Black Friday doorbuster deals, since $500 off might ony be $100 off once you determine the going price before Black Friday.

Black Friday Doorbuster Competition

Considering quanttites may be limited or hours for the deal may be limited (often a 3 or 4 hour period will be mentioned in the ad), you’ll want to be near the front of the line to get the doorbuster deal.

Be familiar with the store so you know exactly where to head when the store opens. For example, if you are eyeing that HDTV Black Friday ad, know where the electronics section is so you can get to it quickly. Also find out, if you can, if the store is putting doorbuster deals in one central location. Some retailers are even nice enough to hand out slips of paper that entitle people to the deal they are after while they wait in the pre-opening line.

Doorbuster Deal or No Deal

Generally speaking, doorbuster deals are as advertised and are loss-leaders for the stores, meaning you are getting them sometimes below cost or at cost. If you take precautions on the doorbuster warnings mentioned above, your Black Friday shopping experience be a great one!